Fallacy of dawn (please help the hopeless)

Jay Jay · Post by **Jay Jay** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 2:02 am

Ok

It's nearly the end of the game, I've got the girl, I've got the garage door open, I've got Doc's red Porsche, I've got Doc's car keys and I've even got an extra pill of ree. The keyless entry isn't working, but that's okay, I'll just put the key in the lock and turn.

But.

Doc's red porsche doesn't have a lock or a keyhole or a door, for that matter. In fact, some verbs make the car disappear altogether. Could someone please help me with the syntax or whatever else is wrong? I had fun playing the game and I want to finish it but I don't want to play guess-the-verb for God knows how long.

Thx

Vermiculate Creature · Sat Jul 19, 2003 6:10 am

Geez, I don't remember it being that hard. You over thinking it. You want to use the key on the car I am not sure if it is 'start car with key' 'put key in car' I even tried 'begin ignition'.

What I can tell you is that it most definitely is not.
'put key in keyhole'
'turn key'
'step on gas pedal'
'steer towards door'

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 7:49 am

I think you just need to do:

>activate keyless
>get in porsche
>drive porsche

But you also need to have the Doc's credit card on you, so you can get past the door to the highway. I think the game will do that automatically for you, if you have it and drive to drive the Porsche, though.

Lazy Bond · Post by **Lazy Bond** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 10:02 am

Actually, if we may post our FOD-related whoas here, I'm having a bit of a direction problem. I managed to get into the portion of New Has that they make you buy a gun for, but I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing at that point. Just collecting a certain amount of cash? And how do I get away from the theater with the ticket? I can use a bug with the game/hugo interpriter I'm running to make the cop outside the theater not show up (just use the undo command after I get into the theater) but I really don't want to win that way.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 7:47 pm

Lazy Bond wrote:Actually, if we may post our FOD-related whoas here, I'm having a bit of a direction problem. I managed to get into the portion of New Has that they make you buy a gun for, but I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing at that point. Just collecting a certain amount of cash?

Yeah. When you get around $5,000 (it's a little more than that, I think) you can then visit the brain care specialist near the Grand Plaza. He will fix your memory, and you can then unlock a valuable piece of software that Yar stored a while back (that he should be able to sell and get enough money to settle his debts) by going to the Internet Cafe.

And how do I get away from the theater with the ticket? I can use a bug with the game/hugo interpriter I'm running to make the cop outside the theater not show up (just use the undo command after I get into the theater) but I really don't want to win that way.

OMG SPOILERS!!!!
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If you shoot the window and then run away, I think the cop will come to investigate and if you're not there, he will leave the crime scene because, hey, what else can he do, right? I think (I don't remember exactly) that if you quietly break the window by using the paper towel and the honey (smear the honey on the towel, put the towel on the window, break the window) that the cop won't come. But don't quote me on that, he may show up anyway.

(FWIW, that puzzle is stolen from the Guild of Thieves, and I tried to acknowledge that by making GoT be one of the two movies with posters in that window. The other, "On the Farm," was done as an in-game nod to Lenny "Lurd" Pitts for helping me test my previous game. )

END OF SPOILERS

Jay Jay · Post by **Jay Jay** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 7:16 am

Thanks heaps! It's a great game.

James Bond · Post by **James Bond** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 9:36 am

Y'know, Robb... I think it would be great if you made a hint system for your games. I mean, with the way you tend to wrap the parser around the game rather than the other way around, it would at least be nice to let the player what he *should* be doing at a givven point. If you're going to make a "free-form" sort of game like FOD again, I think it'd be great to have some sort of "goal" command, to let the player know exactly what his "mission" is, if you don't want to put in a hint system. I'd actually volunteer writing the hints themselves for you if you don't think you *can* (I love text adventures and writing, just can't program worth shit.)

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 10:12 am

Robb's text games were pretty much my first ones and I had very little trouble. For something like Shogun you'd need a hint thing ... but Robb's games are very friendly.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 2:54 pm

James Bond wrote:Y'know, Robb... I think it would be great if you made a hint system for your games. I mean, with the way you tend to wrap the parser around the game rather than the other way around, it would at least be nice to let the player what he *should* be doing at a givven point.

This is an excellent point. At one time in the game's development I considered being able to ask Clara at any time, "Hey... what is it I'm supposed to be doing now?" But alas, I did not end up putting that in.

Considering doing that for the new game, but it's a bit shorter than FoD, so I don't know if it'd be necessary.

But your point is definitely well taken, and if I ever do another large, sprawling game like that, that feature'd be a must.

bruce · Post by **bruce** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 8:52 pm

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote: Considering doing that for the new game, but it's a bit shorter than FoD, so I don't know if it'd be necessary.

Do it.

Bruce